So exactly what would Jesus do?

Two thoughts to consider; not aligned but obliquely related. Please note, that if the points in this article share any resemblance to personal behavior or situations with which you are familiar, it is purely coincidental. But feel free to share it if you're afraid to talk to that person or group about it.

First, why does one leave a church? I suppose when it comes down to it, there are many reasons:

• Environmental (too dark, too loud, don't like the music, too long)
• Theological (too much topical preaching, inaccurate interpretation of scripture)
• Social (not connecting with the community, too many cliques, judgmental culture)
• Cultural (too focused on attraction and not enough on the building up of the body, too charismatic, not charismatic enough, too emotional, not balanced)
• Personal (He/she did/didn't do/not do something).

Have I left out any? Of course I have. The churches across America (and I suppose the world – but here in the US, we are particularly keen on our own selfish desire for a church where we "fit.") are filled with people who have left other churches, or will eventually leave the church they are attending. We all carry the baggage from one church to the next, piling it on top of our spiritual experience and attempting to maintain a relationship with Christ while we juggle the load and attempt to unpack the baggage so we can move on. (Have you ever wondered how that looks to an nonbeliever?).

Lifers are the exception to the rule. Church lifers will stay at a church, believing that they will either make a difference in that church (despite all evidence and experience to the contrary), or that they will outlast whatever leadership or cultural shift has occurred or is occurring. They just have to endure, because it's their church.

Ultimately, the only reason people ever leave a church is because of the leadership – including pastors, teachers, elders, deacons – or whatever post-modern leadership structure the executive management of the church has decided to setup. Leaders create the culture, make the decisions, and affect the relationship their congregation has with them is so many ways. It's unavoidable.

Even Jesus did not tolerate the leadership of the Jewish church (let's not assume that the church of Jesus' day was the same as ours – it was strictly Jewish). The Pharisees had their own ideas of morality, religiosity and faith – and expected their followers to adhere to that vision. There was no room for an individual relationship and support of that personal relationship from the leadership.

It's not so different in many churches today. Would Jesus tolerate the behavior and attitude of your church leadership (or you, if you're a church leader reading this?). It is an inescapable fact that the culture of a church is an expression of its pastor, pastoral staff and in some instances, its congregational leadership. It's leadership that influences the factors in the list at the beginning of this article.

Second, why do we think that other people are validated in their faith, only if they are serving in a manner we judge to be worthy?

Some will claim they must serve because "Jesus said they must," or that it's out of obedience, or that they are guilty.

We're called to serve out of love. Not love of serving, but love for God through Christ. We should obey because we love, not obey to prove our love. A legalistic, law-driven approach to service (I scored points today because I served!) is completely contrary to grace – expressed in a relationship where I love and serve as an expression of that relationship with Christ and love for Christ. It's the truest form of worship – our spiritual service – because I am responding to who God is and what he's done in my life through Jesus Christ.

Some people love to serve in ways that affect individuals on a one-to-one basis. Others choose to serve in ways that have greater impact that is just as valid. The key is, not everybody serves in the same way, and not every individual is gifted for every service opportunity, and that's OK. Don't forget, we are one body, made up of many parts.

If church leadership neglects to encourage people to serve outside of the church and its chosen programs, then the leadership (and the congregation) have completely missed the point of the gospel. We are to be salt and light in the world. There are many organizations that provide opportunities to serve, but since we can't get past the fact that they aren't called ministries, we don't consider them valid. In fact, I think Jesus would say "You know, the gospel is just part of the story. There's a lot of history about my Father and his love for humanity, his relationship with Israel, the glory of creation, the beauty of relationship. If you're only concerned with sharing the gospel, you're missing the point. I want you to be an ambassador for me wherever you go, wherever you serve. Represent me. While you're at it, mention that I came to reconcile people to myself, and you want to share this message of reconciliation." (2 Cor 5:17-20).

If a church's leadership does not value the service of an individual, and by extension the members of its congregation – especially if the service is outside of the officially endorsed church service opportunities – then the congregation will carry that same attitude in their relationships with others in the faith. This is how Pharisees are created.

Church leaders have a solemn obligation to create a culture where service flows from relationship with the Savior; from grace and not guilt. Equipping your congregation to serve and be examples of service means that you will embrace and encourage opportunities for service – especially outside of your church.

Church leaders need to recognize and support those who take personal risk and initiative to volunteer for leadership positions. Do not fail by assuming that you as a pastor are the only one who knows how to be a leader. Don't play favorites, and don't set your congregation up for failure.

Don't make Pharisees. Teach people to be ambassadors. Then, by God's grace, they will make disciples.

On topical preaching

Perhaps you will recognize this pattern. You see a slide on the screen on Sunday morning, and a catchy graphic appears, with a title that alludes to some topic or theme, but you can't figure out what scripture that it pertains to.

Perhaps the topic references something that is current in popular culture. perhaps there is some motivational aspect to it. Perhaps it's some broad scriptural theme, such as "Worship" or "Thanksgiving."

In your heart you  because you know that the sermon series will be based on the speaker's opinion, and reflect what books he's been reading (or writing) and not exposition of scripture. There'll be one minute of Scripture reading and 30+ minutes of talking about what the speaker thinks about how the topic relates to the scripture, and not how the Scripture itself relates to our lives.

This is topical preaching. It's the equivalent of preaching  "because Jesus breathed, you should breathe to."

Sadly, the speaker may not recognize it, thinking that they are meaningfully sharing insights that the Lord has revealed in their deep time of study (which of course, as they are quick to allude to, is much deeper and more intense than yours).

Be encouraged. Breathe deep. Pray for patient endurance. Perhaps the music will lift you up today instead of the sermon.

If not, there's always sermon cloud.

Learning to wait on God

When my wife and I attend a church, we like to serve. For the last 6 years, we've served in youth and in worship arts areas of a local church, enthusiastically as leaders.

Yet, we sensed that our time at this particular church was complete – that we had been called to the church for a season – and that time was over.

As individuals and families, we're drawn to a church through the relationships we have. Friends, family, acquaintances give us a familiar face to look for when we first attend as a guest. As we get to know more people, it becomes more like family. As we start to serve, we become more like staff – and the relational aspect has the potential to change. It's the last stage that can bring joy and sorrow into our lives, if the relationships are not maintained, if trust is not established early on. We lose sight of relationships when programs become more important than people.

But now it's time to move on, we've been lead to a different church, pastored by one of the most humble and self-deprecating individuals I've had the privilege of knowing. He and his wife are dear friends; we've known them for years – we trust them and are confident in his exposition of God's Word.

But what's different this time, is that instead of jumping in and volunteering, we're going to – even need to – wait. And I'm OK with that.

God asks us to wait for Him, to listen to Him, and to obey Him. We're going to be guests again, as we get to know a new family.

Ideas for art in the church

A college friend, who pastors a church, recently asked for my input on how art can help inspire, encourage and challenge.  It's taken me some time, but here are some thoughts.  To start, here's his initial question:

"The church is in a 10-year-old metal building. Everything's gray! I'm working on bringing some color into the building. Over the last few years, I have become much more sensitive to how art can inspire and encourage, not to speak of how art can challenge and "preach." But in wanting to bring art i.e., painting, sculpture, etc., into the church, I'm at a loss as to how to begin to create a plan for this or to create a financial provision for it. Looking for guidance…"

Here's what I suggest:

First, read through these books to get yourself into a proper mindset about art and the church.   One of the reasons that churches don't have much art in them is that the Church, in large part, abandoned the arts long ago, substituting sentimental popular culture for artistic depth.  If art of any kind couldn't be used for Sunday school or evangelism, it was deemed not worthy and largely ignored. Some churches create complex graphic and environmental themes to support sermon series, but they are no substitute for art in our lives – in our churches, our homes and in our spirits.

HR Rookmaker's Art needs no justification is an excellent treatise on how the Church (and Christians) has lowered its aesthetic standards,, and failed to interact with contemporary culture in a meaningful way (preferring to mimic an copy, rather than being original).

Schaeffer's Art and the Bible  is a superb work.  One of the most significant, and shortest, works on art ever written.

Current books on art and Christian faith can be found at Square Halo Books. I recommend It Was Good: Making Art to the Glory of God.

I feel your pain: my office is in a building on battleship gray and glass.  Were it not for the light and the color we've added; it would be thoroughly depressing.

Your environment, your existing architecture can be treated as art. Starting with color is a good place. Create BIG panels of color by staining 4x8 sheets of plywood with rich, deep color stains (not paint) to accent the industrial feel of the building – allowing the texture of the wood to show through. It doesn't need to, but as a metaphor it can speak to the beauty and transparency of grace and God's revealing work in our lives. A main panel covered in vibrant red can be a focal point to bring to the attention of the church family and to visitors the sacrifice of His blood that was made. Avoid kitsch references to any color-based evangelism tools such as color books. Remember, art needs no justification.

Too many churches try to appear so polished, so perfect, that their environment becomes merely a stage for a production and an entertainment venue; a whitewashed imitation of what the Church can be.  Art should be authentic, not amateur.  The environment in your church is spatial art. It's architecture.  If it's metal and industrial, don't try to hide it, accentuate it.

One idea to consider – (I'd love to see you do it), and done in a very small way, is to mount a series of mirrors, circular (which will look great on square walls).  Choose a series of words, or phrases such as Redeemed, I am one whom Jesus loves, Forgiven.  Have them cut in vinyl that looks like frosted glass and mounted on the mirror, and hang them on the panels, centered.  Then when an individual looks in the mirror, they see the message direct from scripture, the word that reminds them of their standing or potential in Christ.

What can you do with light, especially natural light? I am mystified by churches that so thoroughly darken a worship environment.  We worship a God of light! Why must we worship him in the dark? Light encourages the building of relationships between familiar friends and with visitors; it allows us to read the Word while it is being preached.

Art is for (God's) glory and for beauty; in Exodus the art of the tabernacle was to enhancement the environment of worship (my favorite are the pomegranates). God told Moses that he filled Bezalel with his Spirit in order to create works of art for the tabernacle. In the Hebrew it indicates he will think of what he wants to create (even though God told him exactly what he wanted), and to have the skill to create them.

Next we'll discuss specific types of art.  That's more of a challenge, and topic for another article. The environment is the first place to start, it's the canvas upon which art will hang; in which art will create an atmosphere of beauty.

Watching your (Christian) language

It's no wonder the Church struggles to communicate effectively with the rest of humanity.  It invents words and creates terms that are only understood by those who invent them, in an effort to sound relevant and in an attempt to be (pre) inclusive.

Unbelievers have become "pre-christian." Outreach has become "missional." In an effort to grow in numbers at the expense of our congregation's spiritual depth we have become "attractional." Programs have replaced community, production has replaced authenticity. Bonhoeffer spins in his grave.

The Bible gives us the language we need, there is no need to invent anything new. We are ambassadors, living in a culture to which we do not belong; despairing over issues that the Church abandoned long ago (as indicated by Rookmaker in Art Needs No Justification). We have one task: reconciling people to God (2 Corinthians 5:20).

We need not complicate our task by pretending to speak the language of the culture we live in, when in reality the words we use are foreign to those for whom they are intended. A true ambassador learns the language and culture in which they are living. We must do the same and quit speaking "Christianese."

When the Church is the center of the universe

In the 16th and 17th century, both Copernicus and Galileo asserted that the earth moved around the sun.  Of course, the church's opinion that the sun revolved around the earth contradicted the scientific facts, and Galileo was placed under house arrest and forbidden to publish any of his research ever again.

Such a historical story serves as a historical and contemporary metaphor as well; namely that the center of the universe is not the earth, but to many, it is the Church.  (of course it really should be Christ, but we all know what it's like to argue with the church at times).

I've touched on this theme previously, that unless our passion and interests are the same as the Church's they don't seem to matter. Yet if the Church were to realize that there is a place of balance, a place where it is as interested in my life as I am in its life, a wonderful balance occurs.

Our individual calling and service may touch upon the programs and mission of our local congregations, but – here's the part the Church as a whole seems to miss – our individual callings most likely will include other interests outside of the Church.

Even our Christ-related activities are church-centered: if someone from the Church wants to meet with us, often they call us to them; we serve in the Church, at the Church, for the Church. For all that time we spend serving, little time is given from the Church to the relationships we need to form in order to belong, to find community – sadly in the context of serving. How well do we know each other, even when we serve together? How well do those who pastor and shepherd the body of Christ really know the members?  To know the people one must get outside the confines of the Church, spend time equipping and knowing and speaking with.  Consider that Jesus spent more time outside of the synagogue than in it.  If you're a pastor – when was the last time you visited any of those who are closely aligned with your ministry either at their home or in their business?

How ironic that in my profession, I can confidently say I belong to and am a member of the business community – but in the Church the same sense of community does not often exist. (especially not in the way Bonhoeffer thought of community) (Boenhoeffer's Life Together)

Community comes from spending time together, getting to know one another in order to share common interests, common passions, common service. It comes from praying together, being authentic with each other, even from disagreeing with each other. We are the people who share the passion for the cause – people who are flawed, who are busy, who are the center of their own lives, no matter how much evidence there is that the earth revolves around the sun.

If we don't feel like we belong, we aren't going to feel like we want to give, to serve, to love.  There is a give and take that must occur – If the Church were to show more interest in its people, they in return will show more interest in the cause.